Monday, June 27, 2016

My latest post is of some of the very nice barricades I have purchased from Empress Miniatures 'Builders Yard' range. They have three barricades available for mad keen gamers like Myself. The first barricade (pictured below)is a pile of dead horses, sandbags, boxes, mattress and other stuff lying about the street and makes for a great hasty barricade for any blackpowder period.

The second barricade is of a more deliberate construction, designed to help hold ground for a long period of time and would not look out of place in any modern era street battle from the siege of Paris to the 2nd Spanish Civil War.

The last barricade could also be a hastily erected barricade of boxes, sandbags and a cart, which again would be very useful for the above mentioned periods. All the barricades featured have been painted by my good friend Leroy Simpson, who continues to paint some outstanding figures and terrain for my collection.

Monday, June 20, 2016

After three weeks I have finally finished 24 x Elite Miniatures French Chasseurs for a commission, , which are for a fine fellow over in Western Australia. The figures are from Elite Miniatures Early War Range which are depict the chasseurs wearing the Dolman.

Friday, June 17, 2016

Last night Myself and Terry Moran played our first game of the Modern wargaming, with Terry's newly painted Empress Miniatures Australians and Taliban. The scenario was for the Australians (four bricks and and sniper team in overwatch) do to a simple sweep of the compounds on the northern side of the Rud. The Taliban of course were to try and disrupt the Australian advance and remain in control of at least two of the compounds.

So with no rules close at hand it wad pretty much make them up as you go however, I did roughly base our game using 'TSATF' system, including the same movement and shooting tables, which seemed to work quite well and allowed for a good fast game. But when it came to HE weapons i.e RPGs and 40mm GLA's I was a little stuck. Though we did fight through and manage to work out a reasonable way to use them.

Two bricks and PHQ advance to cover just before crossing the Rud

While another brick quickly clears the first compound....all quite thus far

However the sniper team (Arnie and Willie) have spotted movement in one of the compound and radio through to the boys in the green zone to take cover.

The Taliban reveal their position and start to engage the Australians as they move into cover

The sound of small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades is heard throughout the valley.

The snipers in their overwatch position engage the enemy and get the first kill for the day.

Three of the Taliban are soon either killed or wounded by Australian small arms fire and the remaining two flee to another fire position.

Australians engage the Taliban from behind a stone wall

Forcing the last two Taliban to fallback into another well concealed position.

With TIC on the south side of the Rud the other Australian teams think they are ok and when attempting to move into a position of support they are engaged with automatic fire and RPG fire from the north. The Taliban have set up a kill zone......

With no more fire coming from the middle compound the Aussie advance quickly across the Rud in order to secure the compound.

But then more fire heavy machine gun fire is heard from the west and slows their movement down.

Another compound is secure and the troops move into fire positions

With two compounds now firmly secured and in Australian hands, there only remains one more to clear but it is proving a hard nut to crack. With no fast air and rotary wing in support the lads will have to do the job the old fashioned way....on their guts with lots of smoke.

Another Aussie brick moves up to support the next move

Where did they come from??

Increased pressure on the remaining Taliban has forced them to withdraw into the last compound and the Aussie are close behind.

With two bricks in overwatch and snipers moving into another position to support the final assault, the other two bricks move up into position. They use the old stone walls as cover and even though the enemy is firing in their general direction, none of the lads are hit.

"Alright boys on the count of three we are going of this wall"

But just before the boys jump the wall our sniper in their new overwatch position spot and kill the Taliban leader and the remaining Taliban either surrender or flee to fight another day.